Page. 21. Nostra semper feretur, &c. “The fleet of the enemy sunk 55 and its leaders slain, Luci is Lucullus contending on our side, and that incredible naval conflict off Tenedos, will always be spoken of and celebrated as our own peculiar source of praise," i. e. as a memorable source of praise to the Roman arms. With nostra repeat laus from the previous sentence. We have preferred this to the very harsh construction of Ernesti: "Nostra maxime cum pugna navalis: per ovšvyíav cum classis jungitur.” 1. Nostra sunt tropaea, &c. "These are our trophies, our 56 monuments, our triumphs," i. e. peculiarly our own; peculiarly glorious to the Roman name. 2. Feruntur. dissipantur. “Are spread abroad." Equivalent to differuntur, 3. Africano superiori. "To the elder Africanus." Commonly called Africanus Major, (scil. natu.)-Noster Ennius. Ennius, although a native of Rudiae in Calabria, yet obtained by his merits the freedom of Rome, and became in the strictest sense, by his metrical annals, the national poet of the Roman people. Hence the expression noster, our own," in the text. 66 4. Itaque etiam, &c. "And hence he is even thought to be placed of marble on the sepulchre of the Scipios," i. e. the marble statue, which we see along with others on the tomb of the Scipios, is thought to be that of Ennius. Compare the explanation of Ernesti : "Quod simulacrum marmoreum est in monumento Africani, id putant vulgo esse Ennii." For Africani, however, Ernesti ought to have written Scipionum, as will appear from the next note. 5. In sepulchro Scipionum. We must not render this, "in the sepulchre of the Scipios," but "on the sepulchre," &c. Compare Livy, 38, 56 : “ Nam et Literni monumentum (Africani,) monumentoque statua superimposita fuit, quam tempestate dejectam nuper vidimus ipsi. Et Romae extra portam Capenam in Scipionum monumento tres statuae sunt: quarum duae P. et L. Scipionum dicuntur esse, tertia poetae Q. Ennii." Consult also Plin. H. N. 7, 30. Solin. c. 7. Val. Max: 8, 14.-Visconti thought he had discovered this tomb, not far from the Capenian gate, for the particulars of which discovery Maio refers to the Antologia Romana, vol. 7, p. 377. 6. Ejus. We have adopted the very neat emendation of Ilgen, as referring to Ennius. The common text has iis, which had already before been suspected by Guilielmus and Ernesti, who thought that something had been dropped from the text There is nothing in the previous sentence to which is can refer. 7. Ipsi. Referring as well to Africanus, as to the individuals mentioned immediately after, Cato, the Maximi, &c., all of whom Page. 56 were lauded in the poetry of Ennius.-By "the Maximi, Marcetti, Fulvii," are meant in fact only three individuals, Q. Fabius MaxiM. Claudius Marcellus, and M. Fulvius Nobilior, all of whom distinguished themselves in the second Punic war. The plural form is adopted for emphasis.-Consult Historical Index. mus, 8. Hujus proavus Cato. "Cato, the great-grandfather of him who now hears me," or "of him who is here present.' The refer-> ence in proavus is to Cato the censor. Hujus refers to Cato Uticensis, or, as he is more correctly called, Cato the younger, who was present in court, and perhaps one of the judices. 9. Adjungitur. "Is thereby imparted." 10. Illum. Referring to Ennius.-Rudinum hominem. “Althougħ a native of Rudiae." Rudiae, the natal place of Ennius, was a city of Calabria, in Magna Graecia. Consult Geographical Index. 11. Hunc Heracleensem. "This Heraclean." Referring to Archias.-Cicero means to contrast the comparative insignificance of Rudiae with the splendour of Heraclea, whence Archias derived his claim of citizenship. 12. Multis civitatibus. Rhegium, Locri, Neapolis, Tarentum. 13. In hac. "In this one of ours."-Legibus. Referring, in particular, to the law of Silvanus and Carbo 14. Nam si quis, &c. Cicero here meets an objection, if it deserve the name, which some might perhaps urge, that Ennius was honoured because he wrote in Latin verse, whereas Archias composed in Greek. 15. Minorem gloriae fructum percipi. larvest of glory is reaped."—Graeca. "That a less abundant "Grecian productions." 16. Latina suis finibus, &c. "Whereas Latin works are confined within their natural limits, and these contracted indeed." By the natural limits of Latin works Cicero means the confines of Latium, where the Latin language was spoken. In Upper Italy the Etruscan and Gallic dialects prevailed; in Lower Italy, Greek. In a later age, Roman literature became of course more widely disseminated. 17. Orbis terrae regionibus definiuntur. "Are only bounded by the limits of the world," i. e. have reached the farthest limits of earth, have had the whole world for their theatre. 18. Quo manuum, &c. "That, whither the weapons wielded by our hands have reached, thither also our glory and our fame may penetrate." "Se 19. Quod cum, &c. "Because, while these things are full of glory for the people themselves, &c.-Tum iis certc, &c. does all this assuredly form the strongest incitement," &c Page 20. Quam multos scriptores, &c. "How many historians of his 56 exploits is Alexander the Great said to have had in his train." Fabricius (Bib. Gr. 3, 18) gives a long list of writers who treated of the history and exploits of Alexander, of whom only a few have come down to us. 21. In Sigeo. "On the promontory of Sigeum." Sigeum and Rhoeteum were the two famous promontories of the Troad. Consult Geographical Index. 22. Ad Achillis tumulum. According to Plutarch, as soon as Alexander landed at the Troad, he went up to Ilium, where he sacrificed to Minerva, and offered libations to the heroes. He also anointed the pillar upon the tomb of Achilles with oil, and ran round it naked with his friends; after which he placed a crown upon it, declaring "He thought that hero extremely fortunate in having found a faithful friend while he lived, and after his death an excellent herald to proclaim his praise." (Vit. Alex. c. 15.) 23. O fortunate adolescens, &c. "Ah! youthful warrior, favourite of fortune, in having found a Homer as the herald of thy fame."— Qui is joined with the subjunctive inveneris, as referring to the reason, &c. Literally, "since thou didst find." Compare note 14, page 26. 24. Ilias illa. "That Iliad." Illa here takes the place of the article in Greek, and is strongly emphatical. 25. Noster hic Magnus, &c. "Did not our own Pompey the Great." Literally, "this Pompey the Great of ours." 26. Theophanem. Theophanes was a native of Mitylene, in the island of Lesbos. We have only a few epigrams of his remaining. He is mentioned in Or. pro Balb. c. 25, Ep. ad Att. 5, 11, and elsewhere. 27. Et nostri illi, &c. "And did not those countrymen of ours, brave men it is true, yet of rustic habits, and mere soldiers, animated by a certain secret charm of glory, approve of that act by loud shouts, as if they were sharers of the same praise with their commander ?" The Roman armies were generally recruited from the country. Hence the epithet rustici here applied to them, which carries with it the idea of something rude and unpolished. For the more general meaning of the term, consult Ernesti, Clav. Cic. s. v. 66 1. Itaque credo, &c. 'Wherefore, Archias, I suppose, if he 57 had not been a Roman citizen, according to our laws, would not have been able to bring it to pass that he should be presented with the rights of citizenship by some commander of ours!" We have changed potuit, which is the commonly-received reading, to potu Page. 57 isset, on the suggestion of Ernesti, as repudiasset follows. The MSS. often have potuit as a contraction for potuisset, and hence the error may have arisen. 2. Sulla, quum Hispanos, &c. "Sylla, I suppose, when presenting natives of Spain and of Gaul with the rights of citizenship, would have refused Archias seeking the same favour," i. e. had he sought, &c. Schütz omits this second credo, and places a mark of interrogation after repudiasset. The alteration is quite unneces sary. 3. Quem nos, &c. "That Sylla whom we once saw in open assembly, when a wretched poet, from the lower order, had presented unto him a petition, craving some recompense for having composed a short poem in his praise, merely in verses alternately long and short." Literally, "in verses alternately somewhat longer than the previous one," i. e. in the alternating hexameter and pentameter. The term epigramma is here employed in its ancient signification, (not in that of our modern epigram,) as denoting a short piece of poetry, commonly in about four lines, occasionally exceeding that number, and in alternate hexameter and pentameter verse. 4. Libellum. The term libellus properly means a written application, folded in the form of a small book, whence the name. In the present instance it denotes an humble petition for some mark of favour, and the idea of humility on the part of the applicant is still further expressed by the verb subjecisset. 5. Ex iis rebus quas tunc vendebat. Döring thinks that this refers to the effects of proscribed persons. 6. Qui sedulitatem, &c. "Would not he, who thought the zeal of a bad poet worthy nevertheless of some recompense, have eagerly sought to honour the genius of this one, and his ability in composiion, as well as the rich stores of his intellect?" 7. Neque per Lucullos. The two Luculli were cousins to Metellus Pius. The father of the latter, Metellus Numidicus, was brother to the mother of the Luculli. 8. De suis rebus scribi. rated." "Of having his actions commemmo 9. Cordubae. Corduba, now Cordova, was a city of Hispania Bactica. Consult Geographical Index. 10. Pingue quiddam, &c. "Though uttering something in dull and barbarous strain." Pingue obtains its meaning of "dullness" from the idea of mental inertness being always, in some degree, associated with that of grossness of body. Compare note 5, page 31. Page 11. Sed prae nobis ferendum. "But must be openly acknow- 57 ledged." Equivalent to aperte profitendum. 12. Trahimur omnes, &c. "We are all drawn onward by a love of praise, and the best of us are most powerfully influenced by a passion for glory." Optimus quisque, literally, "each best Jerson." 13. Ipsi philosophi. The common text has ipsi illi philosophi, but we have rejected illi with Schütz, as it would sound ill before illis in the next clause, and is, moreover, not required by the sense. 14 Etiam illis libellis, &c. "Even inscribe their names in the very treatises which they compose on the contempt of glory." More literally, "on glory as deserving of contempt," i. e. on the propriety of contemning glory. The idea here expressed is given in almost the same language in Tusc. Disp. 1, 15.-Libellis. The term libellus here denotes "a little book," i. e. a short work or treatise. 15. In eo ipso, &c. "In the very case in which they affect to despise all praise and renown, they actually wish themselves to be talked of and mentioned." We have adopted se before nominari, with Weiske, from Ammianus Marcellinus, (22, 7,) who cites this passage of Cicero. The common text has merely ac nominari. 16. Decimus quidem Brutus. This individual signalized himself by his successes in Spain. Compare Vell. Paterc. 2, 5, and consult Historical Index. 17. Attii, amicissimi sui, &c. "Adorned the approaches to the temples and monuments which commemmorated his exploits, with the verses of Attius, his most intimate friend." Attius, or, as the name is otherwise written, Accius, was a tragic poet, of whose productions only a few fragments remain. According to Valerius Maximus, (8, 14, 2,) Brutus erected a temple with the spoils he had taken from the foe. 18. Fulvius. M. Fulvius Nobilior, who took the poet Ennius along with him into Aetolia. (Tusc. Disp. 1, 2.) Consult Historical Index for both names. 19. Non dubitavit, &c. "Hesitated not to consecrate to the Muses the spoils of Mars." By manubiae are meant those of the spoils which the commander set apart to defray the expense of erecting some monument of the victory.-The expression Martis (for belli) is a very elegant one, standing as it does in direct opposition to Musis. It is not known what act, on the part of Fulvius, is here referred to, or what memorial he erected. 20. Prope armati. "Almost with arms in their hands." |